Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Moses has died. He led the children of Israel 40 years in the desert but was denied entrance into the promised land as the consequence of an angry outburst of disobedience to God. Joshua was Moses’ attendant throughout these years. He was with him on the Mount of God and was one of the twelve spies. He was faithful and obedient and now he was charged with the gigantic task of leading the covenant nation into the Promised Land and governing them as they began to take their permanent place in the world.
In the verses prior to nine, God says many times, “Be strong and courageous.” This is the final time and God adds “Do not be terrified or discouraged.”
Blessings were about to multiply, but God’s people couldn’t see the future, only the immediate. In living color things looked grim and they acted accordingly. We have hind-sight to their story so we shake our heads at their resistance because we see that God did exactly as He said. We do NOT have hind-sight to our own story so we are vulnerable to terror and discouragement too. But, just as God commanded Joshua on His journey, He commands us. Faithfulness demands courage and strength.
The exact same God that created and stood by these great men of faith, is the same God next to you.
Feeling Big on the Inside,
Gretchen